Fishermen were hoping to reel in a big catch last Saturday at a fishing competition at Hongze Lake in China's eastern Jiangsu province.

Almost 1,000 people took part in the three-day contest that ended on Sunday.

Lake Hongze is the fourth-largest freshwater lake in China.

It is well known for its rich aquatic life, and is also one of the country's premier locations for freshwater fish farming.

The aquaculture products from here include whitebait, perch, eel, Chinese mitten crab and shrimp, as well as water chestnuts and lotus.

The lake had been in the news in late August when thousands of fish washed up dead there, allegedly due to water pollution.

Local reports said the incident had caused severe losses to fish farmers.